NCL Pride of America

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The NCL Pride of America can accommodate 2160 passengers and 927 crew members. Our captain was Ron, the General Manager was Dustin, and our Cruise director was Kevin Patrick Sweeney. Our interior cabin was 9543 on deck 9, and our cabin steward was Ruste Yanong. The bed had 2 bunk beds in the side walls, which made it very awkward to get in and out of the bed. You had to bend over and duck, so you didn’t hit the bunk bed folded against the wall.

Day 1: Honolulu, Oahu 8/22/26

After breakfast, we went back to the room and relaxed. We left the hotel around 10 am to catch the bus. It was easy to get to the Pier 2 cruise terminal, and it was only about a 5-minute walk. We walked right up and dropped off our luggage. After going through security and check-in, we were on the ship by 11:15.

First, we went to our muster station and checked in. Then we went to the Aloha Restaurant for lunch. The food and variety were great. We met another couple from Rochester, NY (Marina and Bill) and enjoyed talking with them. They said our cabins were ready about 2 pm, but we hadn’t gotten our luggage yet, so we explored the ship. At 5 pm, we watched the hula dancers at the pool area. Then we went to the Skyline Restaurant for dinner. The food and service were great. We started with French onion soup. Don had Mahi Mahi, and I had a NY strip. We both had creme brulee for dessert, which was also good. I was told the steak would be on the menu every other night. At 7 pm, we saw the sunset and watched as we pulled out of the port. We walked around the ship some more and then returned to the cabin for the night.

Day 2: Kahului, Maui 8/23/26

We arrived in Maui, and we got off the ship at 8:11. It was already sunny but not too hot, so we walked out of the port and walked a couple of blocks to Ho’aloha Beach. When we reached the road (after about 2 miles), we walked back towards the ship along the road. We stopped at a store so I could buy a Diet Pepsi ($3.50). Then we walked until we saw a lot of people going into the CVS. They had chocolate on sale and postcards for .29! After shopping, we went back to the ship and relaxed until lunch was served at the buffet at noon. When we got to the ship, it started raining and rained most of the day. In the afternoon, we went back to our cabin and watched movies (I Can Only Imagine 2 and The Working Man). At 5:30, we went to the show Aloha Polynesia, where dancers performed traditional dances, and we really enjoyed it. After the show, we went to the buffet and had dinner. Then, we returned to the cabin, and we finished watching The Working Man.

Day 3: Kahului, Maui 8/24/26

We got off the ship at 8:30 and went to CVS to buy some more chocolate. Then we got back on the ship and relaxed. We sat out by the pool until lunchtime. After lunch, we walked around the ship and watched the workers move things around the port. At 2:30, we went to the flower lei-making class, which was a lot of fun. We strung fresh orchids on string, and they were beautiful! Next, we went to a sushi-making demonstration. By then it was time to go to dinner in the dining room. I enjoyed my steak again. We finished in time to go to the show featuring comedian Ralphie Roberts (who looks like Bernie Mac).

Day 4: Hilo, Hawaii 8/25/26

We arrived early, and the captain announced that we had a medical emergency and that is why we arrived in the middle of the night. We weren’t allowed to get off the ship until around 8am. We walked out of the port and crossed the street to catch Bus 101 to Richardson Ocean Park. No one at the store or the tour operators knew much about the bus, other than it was Red and White. I used Google Maps, and it told me that the bus would arrive at 8:39 am and it did. It took us to Richardson Ocean Park in about 12 minutes. The bus driver was nice and said that we needed to come back to the same spot to be picked up. He was a very nice and friendly bus driver.

We spent two hours scrambling over the lava rocks and saw 2 large turtles and a mongoose. Then we went to the beach area and waded in the water. We saw black crabs along the wall. The park had showers to rinse off before we went to the bus stop. The bus arrived at 10:52 am, and we stayed on the bus all the way to Queen Liliuokalani Gardens, downtown Hilo, and the airport before returning us to the ship. The bus driver did get into a verbal argument with one of the passengers who was very cranky.

When we got to the ship, we dropped off our stuff in our cabin and then went to lunch. After lunch, we took showers and then sat out by the pool until it was time to go to the Ribbon Lei class. This was a little more complicated than yesterday’s class. After class, we went to dinner and the show. We saw the magician, Joseph Reohm, and we enjoyed his show. After the show, we went back to our cabin to eat junk food and watch Zootopia 2.

Day 5 Kona, Hawaii 8/26/26

Kona was a tender port, so at 6:30, I went to stand in line to get tender tickets. Then they announced that if you are getting off the ship between 7 and 7:30, you didn’t need any tender tickets. We got on the tender at 7 and were on land by 7:11. We walked one mile to Walmart (which opened at 6am), and it was all uphill! We had a great time in Walmart and bought several souvenirs. There was a McDonald's in there, so we bought a drink and enjoyed it while we rested. Then we walked towards the pier, and we found a yarn store (in a quilt shop), so I bought some yarn. We also walked to the farmer’s market. Then we got back on the tender to return to the ship around 11am. When we got back to the cabin, I realized that I left my bag on the tender. We went to eat lunch, and after lunch, I went to guest services to see if someone turned it in, but no one had. I went down to where the tenders were on deck 3, and my bag was there. Next, we went on the deck and sat near the pool for a couple of hours. After dinner, we went to the show Duo Quintessence, and they were amazing! After the show, we returned to our cabin to watch Solo Mio with Kevin James and eat chocolate.

Day 6 Nawiliwili, Kauai 8/27/26

We got off the ship around 8 am and walked towards the Anchor Shopping Center. We passed a bus stop (across from Garden Island Inn), and a bus stopped, so I asked how much a ride was. The bus driver said 25 cents, so I downloaded the bus app and tried to figure out how to open an account and buy an online ticket. After a little confusion, I opened an account on my phone and Don’s phone and loaded $5 on each account. Then I had to buy a ticket on the phone using the money on the account. Once the ticket was bought, you don’t activate it until you are boarding the bus, or the ticket is lost after a certain amount of time. The shuttles cost .25 each ride for seniors, and the mainline was $1 for seniors. So, we took the 70 shuttle to EIWA at the Lihue Town Center (which seemed like a transfer station for other buses) and transferred to a 500 bus ($1), which took us to Hanalei Post Office. This ride took about 90 minutes. We walked around the shopping area, bought a drink and Triscuits for a snack, and then walked to the beach. The beach was absolutely beautiful! Then we went back to the Hanalei Center and took the 400 bus back to EIWA. We transferred to the 70 shuttle again and thought we’d ride it in a loop, but when we got to the Hawaiian Bank, the bus driver said that it was the last stop and we’d have to wait for another bus. So, we waited about 45 minutes for another 70 bus, which got us back to the port around 4:20. We made it back to the ship about dinner time. Then we walked around the ship and looked at the beautiful scenery. We returned to our cabin to watch Hamnet and have an early night.

Day 7 Nawiliwili, Kauai 8/28/26

We got up at 1:30 am because Don had a phone conference for his board meeting at 2 am (8 am ET). We went up to the Aloha Café back deck on the 11th floor to make sure he got a good phone signal. He was done by 3:30, and we went back to bed. I wasn’t able to go back to sleep, so I went back up to the Aloha Café at 5 am and waited for breakfast. After breakfast, we found 2 deck chairs by the pool and relaxed. After lunch, we went back out to our chairs and relaxed until 3 pm. We went by the ship store to spend our shipboard credit (which couldn’t be applied to our gratuities). I bought a dress, and Don bought some chocolate. Then we packed our suitcases before dinner. After dinner, we went to the show featuring the magician, Joseph Reohm. We won’t put out our suitcases because we plan to self-assist and get off the ship by 7:30.

Day 8 Honolulu, Oahu 8/29/26

We went to breakfast at 6am and got off the ship around 7:30. We walked to the bus stop, and the bus arrived 5 minutes later. We took the W bus to the airport for $3 on our Holo card. We were able to check in our bags, and we had a 4-hour wait for our flight. We found a Burger King and paid $4.59 for a small drink each and sat there until we had to go to our gate. Our flight left at 12:39pm for LAX. We arrived around 9:05 pm, and our plane was supposed to leave at 11:59 pm for Atlanta but it was delayed an hour due to a "baggage issue." When we arrived in Atlanta and I turned my phone on, they had rebooked us on a plane an hour later.  Both planes were scheduled at the same gate, and I noticed our original flight had not left, so we were going to check if we could get on it. As soon as we arrived, the lady asked our names and told us that we could get on the plane. As soon as we got on the plane, they closed the doors. But our luggage didn't make that flight on time and was sent on a later flight. We arrived in Greenville around 9:15 am and we had to file a baggage claim. The lady said our luggage would be delivered to us sometime today.  Our friend, Debbie, picked us up, and we stopped at Carolina Fine Foods to bring home some lunch. We got our luggage by 3:45 pm. 

Things I Learned:

• NCL is better than I expected. The crew is friendly and helpful. The food is great.
• In Maui, there is a CVS across the street from the port entrance. There were souvenirs and chocolate macadamia nuts at good prices. There were also other sales going on there.
• The public bus in Hilo is free! (Until December 2028, after that, you will have to check.)
• Richardson Ocean Park in Hilo is about a 12-minute bus ride, and it was fabulous! It was a black sand beach.
• Bring water shoes to Richardson Ocean Park. We had to scramble over lava rocks.
• We rode Bus 101 in Hilo in a loop, and it took about an hour.
• The bus drivers on Kauai were not friendly or helpful.
• The Kauai shuttle bus cost .25 for a senior (I had to choose a senior ticket on the app on my phone), and the mainline (long distance) cost $1 for a senior.
• The beach at Hanalei was breathtaking!
• You can take the bus from the pier to the airport for only $3 on a HOLO card, but you need to get a HOLO card in advance and put the money on it.

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Enchanted Princess

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The Enchanted Princess can accommodate 3,660 passengers and 1,346 crew members. Our captain was Raffaele Di Martino, the hotel director was Miguel Rocha, and our Cruise director was Tee Ayoub (from Brazil). Our interior cabin was C131 on deck 10 (Caribe deck).

Day 1: Ft. Lauderdale 1/6/26

Donna and Bob drove us to Port Everglades. We left at 8:45 and got there about 9:45. We were on the ship by 10:15. We peeked to see where our cabin was, but it wasn’t ready. Then we found a bar and had a beer. We checked into our muster station before heading to lunch. Lunch was on the Lido deck. After lunch, we walked around the ship and then spent the rest of the time at the Seaview Bar. We went back to our cabin and unpacked our suitcases. We had dinner on the Lido deck and then went to the Gelateria for our premium sundaes. After the sundaes, we went to the Princess Theater to watch Reggie Rice, a comedian/magician. After the show, we walked to the atrium and watched the dancers. As we walked to the Vista Lounge, we heard that someone had a medical emergency. They set up privacy screens around the incident (tablecloths, etc.) and treated the man. After that, we returned to the cabin with our cappuccinos.

Day 2: Princess Cays 1/7/26

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We got our tender tickets at 9:15 and were on the island around 9:30. We played in the water for about an hour and then walked around the beach area. At 11:00, we decided to go back to the ship. After lunch, we had another premium sundae. Then we went to the bar for a margarita. While we were there, I checked my folio and saw where we were charged $5 at a bar, so we went to guest services. The girl explained that we were charged for canned drinks, which are not part of our package. I explained we didn’t know that, and the day before, we had gotten several cans of soda at no charge, so she took the charge off. From now on, we will ask if our drinks are included in our drink package. Then we went to another bar and relaxed with more margaritas. Before dinner, we stopped at our cabin and got our jackets because the theater is chilly. We had dinner and got to the theater about 6:30. The show, Spotlight Bar featuring the singers and dancers, was very good. Before we went to bed, I had to turn our clocks forward one hour.

Day 3: At Sea 1/8/26

After breakfast, we went to the session “Discover Caribbean with your Princess Insider,” which was okay but not great. Then we walked on the jogging track until lunch time. After lunch, we thought about going to the session on “An overview of Philipsburg, St. Maarten,” but decided to get our sundae instead. Then we went to the tail end of the session. Next, we went to the bar and had a Bloody Mary, but it wasn’t that great. We went to the session on “An overview of Basseterre, St. Kitts,” which was really boring. We decided to hit our favorite bar, the Seaview Bar, and have another Bloody Mary. The bartender, Imran (Bond), made us a Bloody Caesar using Clamato juice instead of tomato juice. Then we decided to try Sex on the Beach, which was really sweet. By then it was dinner time, and after dinner we went to the show, Lovena B. Fox. She was a singer and had a great voice. After the show, we returned to our cabin to watch the Fiesta Bowl (Ol’ Miss v. Miami, FL)

Day 4: San Juan 1/9/26

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We got off the ship by 10:15 and found our meeting place for our shore excursion. As we got off the ship, we watched an ambulance arrive at the ship. We went to the El Yunque Rainforest ($129 pp), and it was scheduled for 4 hours. We had a really nice bus ride, and our first stop was at the observation tower. Then we stopped at the big swimming pool, which was built by the CCC. We saw a couple of waterfalls. While we were at the swimming pool, it poured down rain. As we descended the mountain, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. We got back to the ship around 3:30. We went to the Lido deck and had a late lunch. Then we stopped to eat our daily sundae before going to the bar for a drink. Soon after that, we went to the theater that featured Yuri and Nato, an acrobatic duo. After the shop, we went to the Salty Dog and had French fries. Then we returned to our cabin to watch the Peach Bowl (Indiana vs. Oregon).

Day 5: St. Maarten 1/10/26

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We got off the ship around 9:45, and instead of walking into town, we turned right out of the port gate. We walked towards a residential and business area until we reached the beach on the other side. It was really hot outside, so we returned to the ship by 11:15. After lunch, we went to the Seaview Bar, but there were no seats, so we went to the Good Spirits at Sea Bar. I went back to the cabin and took a shower. When I returned to the bar, we had another drink before going back up to the Seaview Bar around 3:30. I got some French fries from the Salty Dog Café. After dinner, we went to the show, “5 Skies,” which I enjoyed. We stopped to get our sundaes after the show, when I realized I had lost my medallion in the theater. After finishing our sundaes, I stopped at guest services, and someone turned in my medallion. Then we went back to the cabin and watched Jerry Maguire.

Day 6: St. Kitts 1/11/26

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We got off the ship at 8:45 and walked around the town until 10:30. It was overcast and even showered a little bit while we walked around. After lunch, we got a sundae. Then we tried to sit around the pool, but the chairs were uncomfortable, so we went to the Good Spirits at Sea Bar. It was frustrating when, after I had to do a 2-handed wave to flag down the bar waiter, he nodded that he saw me and then disappeared. I ended up having to go up to the bar to get Don’s martini. Then we went back to the cabin to relax and finished watching Jerry Maguire. After dinner, we went back to get our 2nd sundae of the day and listened to the music in the atrium. On the way back to our cabin, we got 2 lattes: a honey lavender latte and a chocolate chip latte. We watched Finding Dory.

Day 7: Antigua 1/12/26

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We got off the ship by 8:30 and walked to the post office (1.5 miles away). On the way there, we heard a parade band playing outside the police station. It looks like they were having an inspection. At the end, they all got on buses and left. The lady at the post office was very nice, and Don bought about $60 worth of stamps. On the way back, we took a flatter route and went by the place where the post office used to be. Then we decided to get back on the ship and had lunch. After lunch, we sat by the pool and relaxed until dinner time. After dinner, we had a sundae and then went back to our cabin to watch Oppenheimer. In the middle of the night, around 1:20 am, the captain announced that there was a fire alert malfunction, but now everything was okay.

Day 8: St. Thomas 1/13/26

We didn’t get off the ship today and sat by the pool until lunch time. Don took a break from relaxing and walked on the jogging track. After lunch, we had a sundae and then went back to the cabin to finish watching Oppenheimer and Avatar. We had to stop Avatar when the captions didn’t match the lips or the audio. We watched Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief instead. After dinner, we went to the show, featuring Tommy J, a comedian, juggler, and unicyclist. He had appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, and he was very entertaining. I had to frog my socks that I was knitting because somehow, I added 9 extra stitches to them, and they were too big.

Day 9: At Sea 1/14/26

Today was a lazy day. While I was waiting for Don to show up for breakfast, one of the crew members, Caroline from Kenya, stopped to talk about the socks that I was knitting. She is a knitter but has never made socks before. We are going to exchange contact info tomorrow morning, so that I can help her learn how to make socks. After breakfast, we walked on the jogging track. Then we sat by the pool and relaxed until lunch time. After lunch, we got our sundaes. Next, we went back by the pool and relaxed until late afternoon. We went to the Piazza area and watched the people doing ballroom dancing, but then Don got cold, so we moved back up to the pool area until dinner. After dinner, we got popcorn and coffee before returning to our room and watching movies. We watched Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Arthur the King, about a dog. I was able to knit my socks back to where they were before I had to frog them. I did more knitting today than I have the whole cruise.

Day 10: At Sea 1/15/26

Today, after breakfast, we walked on the jogging track. Then we went to the culinary demonstration at 10, which included a galley tour. After that, we got our seats for the Lido deck for lunch. At noon, they were having a special seafood and pastry buffet. I got my regular roast beef at 11:30, and then at noon, I got the black forest cake and tiramisu. After lunch, we returned to our cabin and packed our suitcases. We watched The Verdict with Paul Newman until dinner time. After dinner, we finished our last-minute packing and then put our suitcases out in the hall. We had to turn our clocks back before going to sleep.

Day 11: Ft. Lauderdale 1/16/26

I got up early to get our seats for breakfast around 4 am. Then I came back to the room to make sure Don was awake by 6. We were scheduled to get off the ship by 8, but they were ahead of schedule, and we were off the ship by 7:30. Bob and Donna picked us up by 9 am.

Things I Learned:

• Check my folio every day for odd charges somehow added to my account. It is easier to take care of them as they appear than wait for the last day.
• We talked with a couple who were wearing Hoka sports shoes, and we want to give them a try.
• I like the premium sundaes that are included in the drink package.
• If the drink package wasn’t a special included in the price of the cruise, I wouldn’t get it. It is $65 per person each day, and both people in the cabin have to get it.
• I’m glad we used our shipboard credit for an excursion to El Yunque Rainforest.
• Carry business cards with my contact info with me every day in case I want to exchange info with new friends.
• Put the picture of my luggage tag on the lock screen of my phone. Even though this time, I didn’t lose my phone on the ship, it could have happened. Then they would know who owned the phone.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Traveling Home From Zurich

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We were given the option of putting our suitcases in the hall at 5:30 am or bringing them to the lobby ourselves by 6 am, so we decided to do it ourselves. This was much better because I was able to put all my last-minute things in the suitcase. When we got to the lobby, there was a breakfast bag that included a stuffed pretzel with butter, an apple, and orange juice. The pretzel was very good! At 6:30, we boarded the bus and were taken to Terminal 2. A bunch of us were going to Philadelphia. After we checked our bags in, we had to go through security. Then we had a long walk to find our gate.

While we were waiting, I saw a couple that we had seen on the ship, but I really didn’t get a chance to talk to them much. I don’t think we ever had a meal with them, so I asked them where they were from. When she told me that they were from Greenville, SC, I asked them if they knew my friends Dick and Kathy. These were the people that Kathy told me to look for when we were on the cruise! I can’t believe we had been on the same cruise and never connected until we were on our way home. 

The flight to Philadelphia during the day was much easier than a nighttime flight. The middle seat is really cramped, but I was able to watch movies. I stayed away the whole 8 ½ hour ride. Going through the Philadelphia airport was very nice and went smoothly. We had to go through Passport Control, pick up our luggage, walk them through to another place, check our luggage back in, and then go through Customs. Then we walked almost a mile to our gate to get the plane to Palm Beach. 

The 3-hour flight to Palm Beach went smoothly. After we got our luggage, I texted Donna. She said Bob, and she was on the way. We got home just before it started raining really hard. 

After we unpacked, we went to bed. By this time, we had been up for 24 hours. 

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Zurich, Switzerland Day 2

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We spent the night at the Radisson Blu hotel at the Zurich airport. The room is so dark that we had to use a flashlight to see in our suitcases. We went to the breakfast buffet at 6:30, and it was nice. There were only seats for about 40 people, and there were 176 of us. No one mentioned that there was another dining area around the corner. Everyone at dinner was complaining about how dark the rooms were. 

At 7:45, we were in the lobby to get ready to board the buses. We were driven to downtown Zurich on a scenic route with nice views. Then, when we arrived in Zurich, we had a walking tour. It was cloudy when we started, but it rained on and off while we were walking. Those who didn’t want to do the walking tour could return to the hotel. 

At the end of the tour, we were given three options. We could return to the bus and go back to the hotel. Or, we could stay in town and take one of the shuttle buses back at 2:30, 4, 5:30, or 8 pm (the meeting place for this shuttle was not very clear, though). Or, we could take a train or Uber, or taxi back to the hotel. We chose to go back to the hotel. 

We walked to The Circle again and had lunch at McDonald's (I didn’t find out until I saw my credit card transactions at home that the total was over $25 USD!). Then we went to Migros (the supermarket/department store) where Don bought more chocolate. After that, we returned to our room and repacked our suitcases. I was able to call the front desk and ask about weighing our suitcases. When we took them to the front desk, a girl took us to the back (maybe a loading dock) and let us weigh our suitcases. Don’s suitcase was 19 kg, and mine was 17 kg. American Airlines allows 22 kg. So we are okay. 

Original Photos by Pat Hensley

Basel and Zurich, Switzerland

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It was pouring down rain this morning! We boarded buses at 9 am and headed for our tour. We arrived downtown Basel at 10:15 am and had a one-hour tour. It rained the whole time, but we got some free time to have lunch and shop. We found a store to buy some chocolate. After exploring around town, we found a McDonald's for lunch. We also went to the department store, Pfauen, to use the bathroom and found a wonderful eating place on the 5th floor, but we had already eaten. We were back on the bus by 1:45 pm. It took about 90 minutes to drive to Zurich, and a lot of us took a nap.

We arrived at the Radisson Blu hotel, which is right in the Zurich Airport. It was a little chaotic, and we weren’t given much instruction about how to get to our rooms. After we were given our room keys, we dropped our stuff off in the room. Then we went exploring. We could have taken a 5 pm shuttle to town, but we would have had to wait until 8 pm to come back. Instead, we found out that we could go to the Circle and find lots of food. We found a food court (with McDonald's, KFC, and other places) as well as a grocery store. After eating dinner, we went to the grocery store for some Coke Zeros and more chocolate. When we got back to our room, our luggage was there, so we could get comfortable and relax. The only TV channel I could find that spoke English was the BBC News channel, and I was able to put on the closed captions.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Strasbourg, France

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We got off the ship at 8:45 for our tour of Strasbourg. There were five ships in this port, and some of them were docked side by side, so passengers from other ships had to go through other ships to reach the shore. The bus ride to the town was about 15 minutes, and we walked around the town. Our guide took us to a free and clean restroom near the Cathedral. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go inside the Cathedral because it was Sunday. The architecture of the Cathedral was very ornate. We also went by St. Thomas church, where Mozart played, and Albert Schweitzer also played the organ. 

After the tour, we had an hour to go shopping before we returned to the bus. There were a lot of decorations with storks because every year the storks stop here as they migrate to South Africa. Some nests could be 1000 lbs!

The guide told us this story that parents tell their children about how babies are made:

The stork is sitting above a hidden lake. When a parent wants a baby, they go to a well and yell down the well, saying they want a baby. This wakes up the old gnome. The old gnome takes his net and tries to catch girl or boy souls in the lake. Girl souls are harder to catch than boy souls. When the old gnome catches one, he gives it to the stork. If the parents put a piece of sugar on their windowsill, the stork will deliver a baby to them.

Around noon, we headed back to the boat and had lunch. Darryl from Abiline, TX joined us (Beth, Barb, Betty, Don, and me). He told us about Grand Circle Travel, which we want to check out. After lunch, we went back to our cabin to pack, and then it was time for Afternoon Tea. After tea, we went back to our cabin to finish packing. 

After dinner, we went back to our cabin. We have to have our suitcases outside our cabin by 6 am.

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Speyer, Germany

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Today, when we got off the ship, it was below freezing, and there was frost and ice everywhere. They even announced a warning about how slick it was outside and to be careful. At 9 am, we took a bus to Speyer and had a walking tour. We went into the cathedral, and it was pretty. Someone said we were doing an ABC, standing for Another Bloody Church! This made me laugh. Then we walked around town. We passed a phone booth for children to call Santa Claus. They talk privately in the booth and teel what they want for Christmas. It is recorded and the next day, it is written in the newspaper so parents can look for their child's name and age and find out what they want for Christmas. 

We had an hour after the tour to go shopping. Barb, Beth, and another lady from Pennsylvania joined us as we explored. Then we all took the bus back to the ship. We heard Elliot talk on the phone that another cruise ship had lost 2 of their guests and was looking for them.

After lunch, we returned to Speyer on a bus at 2 pm. It was a 20-minute ride to the town from Germersheim, where we were docked. As we were walking, we came across another yarn shop and I just had to buy yarn! Then we found a store that sold mittens that reminded me of the thrummed mittens I had knit for Don. They were so nice and warm that I bought them. At 5 pm, we took the shuttle bus back to the ship.

 

At 6 pm, Elliot talked about the disembarkation procedure. All that information was very overwhelming! Our orange tags were waiting for us in our cabin, along with instructions about the day we leave. At 6:30 pm, he gave a port talk about Strasbourg, France, where we will visit tomorrow.

For dinner, we joined Barb and Beth (from Lebanon, PA) and Joyce and Myron (from Canada), and we had a great dinner. We really enjoyed talking with all of them!

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Mainz, Germany

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We met our tour group at 9:15 am and had a walking tour of the old city. 80% of the city was destroyed in WWII. The market, which is held 3 days of week, was occurring and there were a lot of people in town. We went to the Guggenheim Museum, which was held at the Museum of Natural History since the original museum was being renovated. We got a demonstration of how the press worked, and we saw four of the original Bibles that were printed. After the tour, we went to 2 yarn shops and I bought some yarn.

Around noon, we returned to the ship for lunch, and it was very slow, but eventually we finished lunch. Then we walked back into town, and we stopped at the department store where we bought 2 boxes of chocolate-covered cherries: one with vodka and one with wild punch. Don also bought some wild peach rose wine. We walked around town and enjoyed seeing the architecture.

We returned to the ship around 4 pm and signed up for an appointment with the program director, Elliott. We had time to eat 2 of our cupcakes and they were delicious! Elliot connected us to the Viking rep, whom we talked to over the phone in our cabin. We ended up buying 2 certificates for future cruises and booked a cruise for next year, and only had to give a $50 deposit.

Around 6, we had a cocktail party and then a port talk. For dinner, we sat with Jayne and her mom, Betty (Charlotte, NC), and Barb and Beth (Lebanon, PA). We had such a great time talking with them! After dinner, Jayne invited us up to their room to see what a verandah suite looked like. It was 2 rooms, where one room was the bedroom and the other room was a sitting room. The sitting room had a balcony that you could sit out on, and the bedroom had a French balcony (door opened, but no room to sit).

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Koblenz Germany

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We finished breakfast early, and since we didn’t have to meet for our tour until 9 am, we got off the ship and wandered a little. We walked to the big statue of Wilhelm I at the German corner. It was an impressive, huge statue! The corner is where the Moselle River joins the Rhine River. We went through 19 locks to get here.

At 9 am, we met our tour guide, Michael, who retired from the German army, and he was a fabulous guide. We walked around the old city of Koblenz, which had been 99% destroyed in WWII. The cutest thing we saw was the rolling eyes clock, where the eyes of the face move constantly. On the hour, the tongue sticks out! We also liked the thumb statue! Barb took our picture, and then we took a picture of Barb and Beth at the thumb. Later, we exchanged picture,s which is much easier than trading phones. 

After the tour, we had 90 minutes to explore, so we went back to the Omas Kuchen and bought 6 cupcakes. The guide recommended this place, and it looked delicious. Then we went to an arts and crafts store where I found some yarn! The 100g balls of yarn were wool, cashmere, and nylon for 13 euros each! I picked one, and I had Don pick one so I could make us more socks.

We got back on the ship in time for lunch, which seemed to take a long time. Then we bundled up so we could sit on the sun deck as we sailed down the Rhine River. At 2:30, Elliot was going to narrate what we were seeing. Jayne and her mom, Betty (from Charlotte, NC) sat with us. The wind made it so cold up there, but we had beautiful views of the castles on each side of the river. Eventually, I went and got our bath towels to put over our legs. I tried to knit, but my hands got too cold. At about 5 pm, it got too dark to see anything, so we went to the lounge to hang out. I was able to knit the heels into my socks.

At 6 pm, Elliot gave his port talk and talked about future cruises until dinner time. I enjoyed having my rib-eye steak for dinner. At 9 pm, we went to the lounge to hear a duo playing medieval music on the bagpipes and drum. I was so tired that as soon as we got back to ur cabin at 10:30, I went to bed!

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Cochem, Germany

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After breakfast, we got off the ship for our tour in Cochem, Germany. There were three parts: first, we walked into town and took a city tour, then boarded a minibus that took us up to the Imperial Castle. After the tour of the castle, we got on a tour bus and had a winery tour in another town.

It was really cold when I got up in the morning, and my watch said it was snowing. Yet, when we started the tour, it was just cold and rainy. The tour guide, Silvia, said that it only snows about 5 times a year, so I guess this morning was one of them!

The Imperial Castle was very old and was almost demolished by Louis XIV in 1689. Then Louis Ravene bought the castle in 1866 and renovated it. It took 10 years to renovate it, and he only lived in it for 2 years before he died. In each room, his initials, LR, were hidden somewhere in the room. There was a witch’s tower that was one of the only things not demolished by Louis XIV, and legend is that a witch protected it.

After the castle tour, we went to a wine tasting in another town, and it was fun. We had 2 glasses of Riesling wine and a red vinegar peach aperitif. After the wine tasting, we returned to the ship in time for lunch. In my rush to get on the ship to use the bathroom, we forgot to scan our cards, so during lunch, they asked that a couple of guests from specific rooms report to guest services. Imagine my shock when I heard our cabin number called. I left the table and ran to the check-in scanner, where they scanned our cards.

After lunch, I took a shower while Don went to the sun deck and watched as we sailed down the river. At 3:30, the captain showed a video about how the ship operates. Then we were able to go to the wheelhouse and walk inside. There were 2 groups, and I was in the first group, and Don was in the second group. While he was in the wheelhouse, I stayed on the sun deck and was able to watch us go through the lock. After that, we sat in the lounge until it was time for Elliot to give his port talk.

After the talk, it was time for dinner. They had wedding soup and a charcuterie selection on the table. Then we got dinner from the buffet featuring German food. The chef also walked around giving out big soft pretzels.

We were docked in Winnigen, and people went on a wine tour after dinner, so I thought we would go ashore to visit the town. But after dinner we went up to the sun deck to look at the town, and it was really dark, so we didn’t see anything that we wanted to go ashore.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Trier and Bernkastel

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Trier is Germany’s oldest city and is full of Roman ruins. Before breakfast, we walked out on the deck, and there was frost everywhere. We had a delightful breakfast and then met for our tour at 8:15. We took a bus to a church and started our tour. It was very cold! A lady with another group had slipped and hit her head, so an ambulance was called. We saw a lot of nice architecture, and luckily, our tour guide was a retired architect. We also saw the childhood home of Karl Marx. The highlight of the tour was the Black Gate, known as Porta Nigra. Then we had 45 minutes of free time, so we walked around the town. We visited a department store that had four floors, but it was quite warm. When we met back to get on the bus, we heard the lady was okay and would return to the ship.

When we got back to the ship, we had lunch. I had curried cauliflower soup, penne pasta, and a chocolate chip sundae. It was delicious. While we were at lunch, our ship went through a lock, and it was fun to watch it out of the dining room window. We were only inches from the wall on each side!

After lunch, we went up to the lounge and hung out for the afternoon. We saw the beautiful countryside full of vineyards as we traveled down the Moselle River. I knitted on my socks while I visited with Jane and her mother, Betty (from Charlotte). Then we sat and visited with 2 ladies from Pennsylvania, whom we had lunch with. At 4:45 pm, Elliot gave a talk about Bernkastell and tomorrow’s visit to Cochem.

At 5:30, we got off the ship in Bernkastell and walked around the town. Most of the stores were closed, but we found the pointed house (Wider on top than on the bottom). We also so the castle way up at the top of the mountain, but we didn’t go to it since it was dark. We got back to the ship around 6:30.

We had dinner at 7:15 and sat with Patty and John (Denver, CO), Judy and Mike, and Dell and Randy (Albany, NY)

Original photos by Pat Hensley